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About
Following on the heels of the critically-acclaimed true crime account, A Killer By Design (soon to be released as an original docuseries called Mastermind on Hulu), a groundbreaking look into the crucial role played by expert witnesses in the most high-profile criminal cases, from the Menendez brothers to Larry Nasser to Bill Cosby, based on Dr. Ann Burgess' personal experiences within the criminal justice system
For decades, when criminal cases of the most unprecedented nature went to trial, one woman took the stand to separate truth from fiction. Expert Witness: The Weight of Our Testimony When Justice Hangs in the Balance is the extraordinary story of forensic and psychiatric pioneer Dr. Ann Burgess-inspiration for Hulu's forthcoming docuseries Mastermind-and how she revolutionized what it means to be an expert witness in the American court system.
Written through Burgess' singular lens of compassion and lived experience, Expert Witness pulls back the curtain on some of the biggest cases in the last thirty years-from Bill Cosby to the Menendez brothers to Larry Nassar-to reveal the deeply human stories behind the trials that captivated a nation. The book explores the role of expert witnesses in high stakes court cases, offering first-hand accounts and never-before-seen interviews with attorneys, victims, and offenders. Unlike any book before it, Expert Witness places readers inside the mind of the nation's most prominent courtroom expert, following Burgess as she takes on one seismic case after the next and shows how powerful courtroom testimony can be.
Throughout the narrative, each case deepens the reader's understanding of the art and science of expert testimony. And while the cases on their own are fascinating, it's the never before told stories of the individuals at the heart of such groundbreaking cases that gives Expert Witness its powerful sense of urgency, relevance, and framework of understanding, taking readers from the women's movement of the 1970s to the #MeToo movement of today-one of the largest social reckonings in recent history.
At its core, Expert Witness is a story of empowerment. It's a story of compassion and the ever-increasing need for individuals to stand up and speak truth to power or to popular opinion. And it's ultimately a story of how revolutionary one voice can be. Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, DNSc., APRN, is a leading forensic and psychiatric nurse who worked with the FBI for over two decades. She is currently a professor at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing, and she lives in Boston, MA.
Steven Matthew Constantine (cowriter) is the assistant director of marketing and communications at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing. He holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Boston, MA.
For decades, when criminal cases of the most unprecedented nature went to trial, one woman took the stand to separate truth from fiction. Expert Witness: The Weight of Our Testimony When Justice Hangs in the Balance is the extraordinary story of forensic and psychiatric pioneer Dr. Ann Burgess-inspiration for Hulu's forthcoming docuseries Mastermind-and how she revolutionized what it means to be an expert witness in the American court system.
Written through Burgess' singular lens of compassion and lived experience, Expert Witness pulls back the curtain on some of the biggest cases in the last thirty years-from Bill Cosby to the Menendez brothers to Larry Nassar-to reveal the deeply human stories behind the trials that captivated a nation. The book explores the role of expert witnesses in high stakes court cases, offering first-hand accounts and never-before-seen interviews with attorneys, victims, and offenders. Unlike any book before it, Expert Witness places readers inside the mind of the nation's most prominent courtroom expert, following Burgess as she takes on one seismic case after the next and shows how powerful courtroom testimony can be.
Throughout the narrative, each case deepens the reader's understanding of the art and science of expert testimony. And while the cases on their own are fascinating, it's the never before told stories of the individuals at the heart of such groundbreaking cases that gives Expert Witness its powerful sense of urgency, relevance, and framework of understanding, taking readers from the women's movement of the 1970s to the #MeToo movement of today-one of the largest social reckonings in recent history.
At its core, Expert Witness is a story of empowerment. It's a story of compassion and the ever-increasing need for individuals to stand up and speak truth to power or to popular opinion. And it's ultimately a story of how revolutionary one voice can be. Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, DNSc., APRN, is a leading forensic and psychiatric nurse who worked with the FBI for over two decades. She is currently a professor at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing, and she lives in Boston, MA.
Steven Matthew Constantine (cowriter) is the assistant director of marketing and communications at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing. He holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Boston, MA.
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Reviews
"Researcher and psychiatric clinical nurse Ann Wolbert Burgess has written a fascinating overview of her work as an expert witness. Gabra Zackman's narration is instructive, professional, and easy to follow. She adds no flourishes as Dr. Burgess describes working with victims, perpetrators, and law enforcement. Her writing is straightforward and interesting for a layperson. Specific cases are presented, notably the victims and perpetrators in the cases of the Menendez brothers, Larry Nassar, and Bill Cosby. Burgess also discusses the potential uses of artificial intelligence in profiling criminals, analyzing cases, and drafting documents in the legal system, as well as predicting the impact of trauma on a victim. Commentary on determining a perpetrator's likelihood of reoffending is of particular interest. S.E.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine"
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